1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to network-based conference calling whereby audience members access audio conference calls over computer networks, e.g., using computers running a Web browser provisioned with a streaming media player.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known in the prior art to provide a multimedia business communications platform that transforms audio and video conferencing into interactive conference casts with integrated streaming audio and video. End-users participate in conference casts from anywhere on the Internet using just a standard web browser, with the call being “streamed” to the participant. Streaming media, as is known, is a type of Internet content that has the important characteristic of being able to be played while still in the process of being downloaded. A client machine can play the first packet of an audio or video stream, decompress the second, while receiving the third. Thus, an end user can start hearing/seeing the multimedia without waiting until the end of transmission. Streaming media quality varies widely according to the type of media being delivered, the speed of the user's Internet connection, network conditions, the bit rate at which the content is encoded, and the format used. Non-streaming content is standards-based in the sense that the server and client software developed by different vendors, such as Apache server, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and the like, generally work well together. Streaming media, however, usually relies on proprietary server and client software. The server, client, production and encoding tools developed by a streaming software vendor are collectively referred to as a format. Streaming media encoded in a particular format must be served by that format's media server and replayed by that format's client. Streaming media clients are often called players, and typically they exist as plug-ins to Web browsers. The most common streaming formats are Windows Media (WMS), Real and Apple QuickTime.
A conference call event typically is set up as illustrated in FIG. 1 and as described below. A host 100 contacts a service bureau 102 to schedule a conference event. The service bureau typically operates an event registration system 104. At step (1), the host 100 calls a Web reservation specialist. At step (2), the reservation specialist creates a customer account if one does not already exist and schedules a conference event. At step (3), the specialist enters the event information into the event registration system 104. Then, at step (4), the specialist confirms the information and sends the host 100 the following: audience Web site address, host Web site address, an event identifier and a user name and password. At step (5), the host 100 enters the host Web site address and obtains a host login page. The host enters the event identifier, user name (if required) and password (if required) provided by the reservation specialist at the service bureau. At step (6), the host 100 accesses an administration page. From there, he or she can carry out a number of provisioning and management tasks such as: provisioning and sending invitations to the audience members, monitoring the event, accessing an archive of the event if available, editing the archive, accessing usage reports, accessing event information, and editing event information. At step (7), the host sends the invitations to the audience members. The message typically includes the event identifier, as well as a link to an audience Web site. At step (8), the prospective audience members receive the notification from the host. To access the event, an audience member clicks on the link (or enters a URL manually) to launch his or her browser's media player to the audience Web site. To connect to an event, an end user audience member needs to have a computer with a video card (standard in all computers), sound card and Internet connection, an Internet browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, or the like), streaming media player (e.g., Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or the like) and the Web site address of the event. From the audience Web site, the audience member enters the eventID, user name (if required) and password (if required) to access the event. Of course, one or more of the above-described steps can be carried out automatically and/or in an online manner.
Traditional Internet conferencing casting systems have several deficiencies. These applications typically use databases to generate reservation information, to initiate events, and to authenticate a host or the attendees. The database dependency creates a potential single point of failure because if the database is unavailable, events cannot be run. Likewise, a typical application runs the event streams from a single server, which again represents a single point of failure and limits scalability, i.e., the number of attendees that can attend the conference. Moreover, the prior art systems require advanced setup for the streams, which dictates a blackout period between the time that an event is reserved and the occurrence of the event itself. Thus, once an event is scheduled, a service provider typically must provision or allocate in advance various system and other resources. Such resources include, without limitation, media encoders, storage, network connectivity, streaming server ports or publishing points, and the like. This is in addition to the human resources required to handle reservations and to provide administrative functions. As a consequence, prior art conference casting systems do not have the capability of reserving and then immediately executing the event, with the resulting stream being immediately available to an audience member. In prior art systems, stream redundancy typically requires special handling and raises costs. Prior art conference casting systems also do not have the capability to archive the event in an automated manner and/or to manage when particular streams get interrupted before the event is terminated.
These and other problems of the prior art are addressed by the present invention.